Portable holdall, case, and bag



Aug. 6-, 1946. E. E. LANGFORD HAL. v

PORTABLE HOLDALL, CASE, AND BAG 7 ZAQS BM Filed Sept. 9 1944 2 sheets-sneak 1 m 0 r. n e U n I 6 3 fwnf Amga & 1%. E. E. LANGFQRD ETAL 9 M PORTABLE HOLDALL, CASE, AND BAG 2 sheets-sheet 2 Inventors Filed Sept. 9. 1944 FIGS.

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Patented Aug. 6, 1946 PORTABLE HOLDALL, CASE, AND BAG Ernest Edward Langford and Arthur Thomas Garnett,v London. England, assignors to A. J. Garnett Limited, London, England Application September 9, 1944, Serial No. 553,310

- In Great Britain March 22, 1944 lclaim. (01. 190-43) This invention relates to portable cases such as e. g. holdalls, dresscases, week-end cases and the like, and more particularly to the type of portable case or bag having the walls joining the base and top collapsible, and in which the case or bag is closed by a sliding clasp type of fastening means. The chief object of this invention is to afford a relatively large size of opening for packing the case or bag and to provide means to sustain the collapsible walls in the erected position when the-case or bag is opened for packing and unpacking, so that although the opening is adapted to be closed by a sliding clasp type of fastener and the said walls are collapsible, the advantages of an ordinary suit case with a hinged lid are obtained without however the bulkiness and weight usually associated with ordinary suit cases. Another object of thisinvention is to improve upon the manner of adapting the sliding clasp type of fastener to the case or bag, so that the opening-and lid to be sealed by the sliding clasp type of fastener can extend for nearly the full width andlength of the top of the bag or case.

According to this invention, a holdall, weekend. case, portmanteau or the like of the type set forth is a substantially rectangular container having its base and top united by collapsible uninterrupted end and longitudinal walls, its top being constituted predominantly by a flap continuous with one of the longitudinal walls and adapted to act as a lid, and sliding clasp type of fastening means being secured to the free edges of said flap and to marginal parts of the said top to secure the lid forming flap in the sealed position.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into eflect drawings are appended hereto illustrating an embodiment thereof, and wherein,

Fig. 1 is a front perspective view showing the bag opened and ready for packing.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional front elevation of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the bag when closed and partially collapsed, and in the normal carrying position.

Referring to the drawings which show the invention as applied to a holdall type of kit bag or week-end bag, the body of the bag is preferably composed of a fabric cover I stiffened by a backing 2 of cardboard or like inexpensive stifi sheet material, and lined with any suitable soft fabric 3 as customarily adopted with e. g. dress cases.

The two end walls 4 and 5 and one longitudinal wall 6, i. e. the lower wall when the bag is being carried, are creased along their centres as at I', and V-folds 8 also included in said end walls, to enable both end walls 4 and 5 and the said lower longitudinal wall It to fold inwards concertina fashion. The remaining (i. e. upper) longitudinal wall 9 is not stiffened, but is free to collapse loosely with the folding of the'other walls.

Except for the said two end walls 4 and 5'the outer covering of the bag is preferably a single piece of fabric'with its ends sewn together at the longitudinal fold l of the said lower longitudinal wall 6, the opening II 'of the bag being out along three sides out of the part of this length of fabric which extends over the top In 'of the bag, such opening being dimensioned so as to leave only a quite narrow marginal lip I2 extending inwardly from the end walls 4 and 5 and lower longitudinal wall 6. By this means a flap I3 is provided, formed in continuity with the upper longitudinal side 9 of the bag, the closure of the flap being effected along the three free edges of the flap by slidingclasp fastening means hereinafter described.

The closure flap I3 is, in common with the base I l, stiffened as aforesaid with a suitable backing, and its free edges and the opposed edges of the opening in the top of the bag are strengthened by a hem or seam I5 of leather or the like and have sewn thereto, preferably by the stitches which bind the said hem or seam in position, the webs or tapes of two sets of sliding clasp fasteners I6, IBa and I1, I'Ia. One set extends completely along one side of the flap I3 and halfway along the free edge I8 of such flap as indicated by the reference numeral I6, and the corresponding part of the edge of the said opening, the other set being likewise arranged along the remaining side and half of the free edge of the flap as at H and the corresponding part of the edge of the said opening as at Ila, whereby the two sliding clasps I9 and 20 meet midway between the ends of the bag when the flap is closed. To open the bag the two sliding clasps are pulled away from each other towards opposite ends of the bag and caused to negotiate the corners of the flap (which are radiused for such purpose) and carried to terminal positions coinciding with the junction of said flap I3 with the upper longitudinal wall 9 of the bag.

By providing holes in the tags of both of the sliding clasps to receive a common padlock 2| the bag can be locked securely when closed.

To relieve the sliding clasp fastening means respectively sewn to the base andv the said flap and formed with rolls or loops at their ends to receive four Ds 28 to which are anchored the ends of two inverted U-shaped handles 29 by which the bag can be carried in the hand.

In order to brace up the collapsible sides of. the bag when it is being packed two parallelogram or diamond shaped panel 30 are sewn to the interiors of the end walls by their upper inclined edges as indicated by the reference numeral 3! so that their smaller angle apices coincide with the aforesaid longitudinal centre creases l' of the end walls 4 and 5, and the free apex of each such panel carries one fastening element 32 of a snap button fastener, the co-operating fastening element 33 of which is secured to the appropriate end wall in uch position that when the fastening elements are engaged each diamond shaped panel braces the appropriate end Wall transversely and longitudinally. By this means a readily applied, and equally readily released wall bracing means is provided.

The lining of the marginal part of the top of the bag is carried slightly beyond the appropriate lines of sliding clasp tongue elements as indicated by the reference numeral 34 to overlap the flap 13 marginally when the flap is closed.

Strengthening seam of leather or like bindings 35 are sewn along the edges of the bag, and it is preferred to radius the upper corners of the bag (1. e. the corners at the upper ends of the end Walls 4 and 5 when the bag is being carried) so thatthe upper longitudinal wall of the bag is bowed in cross section, this aifording the most convenient configuration of bag fo carrying.

4 This upper radiusing is indicated by the reference numeral 36.

We claim:

A rectangular handbag comprising, in combination, two stlfiened side walls of relatively large size, a stiffened base wall and a flexible top wall integral with the side walls, the side, base and top walls formed of a single piece of material whose ends are afiixed together along the longitudinal center line of the base wall, and two stiffened end walls, the base and end walls being creased longitudinally along their centers and adapted to fold inwardly, supporting means comprising a diamond-shaped panel of stiff material permanently fastened to the inner surface of each of said end walls along two adjacent edges, with the smaller apices of said panel coinciding with the longitudinal creases in said end wall, said panel being provided with means for temporarily fastening the free edges to aid end wall when the wall is in a flat condition, the panel when said free edges are so fastened preventing the wall from folding inwardly, a flap cut out of one side wall along three of its sides and formed in continuity with the top wall, the flap comprising substantially all of said side Wall and forming a narrow marginal lip along the end and base walls, slide fastener means arranged about the edges of said flap and lip, strap fastener means attached to and extending across the base and one side wall to a point adjacent the top wall, adapted to engage a like strap fastener means attached to and extending across the flap to a point adjacent the top wall, said strap fastener mean relieving the slide fastener means from strain, the upper terminal ends, adjacent the top wall, of each of said strap fastener means engaging a handle, the handles, strap fastener means, flexible top wall and folding end and base walls cooperating to cause the flexible top of the handbag to peak and the side walls to bow inwardly when carried, thereby permitting the .bag to be carried closer to the body.

ERNEST EDWARD LANGFORD. ARTHUR THOMAS GARNETT. 

